Preamble
California State University, Fullerton expects its students to develop
a sense of social responsibility beneficial to the community. Service
learning involves students in community service linked to classroom
learning, and provides the opportunity to develop or strengthen
a service ethic.

Through service learning, students broaden their academic knowledge
and personal development by participating in community based activities
that earn academic credit. Service learning experiences vary depending
upon the desired learning outcome, the discipline(s) involved, the
amount of time spent by the student at the service site, and the
nature of the assignments.

Along with other graded assignments service learning is used to
strengthen learning outcomes in upper and lower division courses
across all disciplines. It is separate and distinct from internships
(see UPS 320.002), which seek to integrate academic work from an
entire major with practical experience in work settings relevant
to that discipline. Unlike the intern, the service learning student
volunteers in a service-oriented organization to develop a service
ethic and to gain a deeper understanding of the material offered
in a specific course. Other activities in the course provide the
academic context for the service-learning component.

This document provides guidelines under which service-learning
activities can be offered for academic credit.

Guidelines
Service learning is used within a course to clarify, illustrate
or stimulate additional thought about topics covered in the classroom,
while at the same time encouraging students to develop a habit of
service to the community. Service learning activities shall: be
a component of a university course and be described in the syllabus;
credit shall be granted only for activities so described and approved
by the instructor in advance; integrate community and classroom
learning; meet community needs and be identified in conjunction
with community organizations; provide structured opportunities,
including writing assignments, for students to reflect on the connections
between their service experiences and the course objectives; normally,
be evaluated on the studentís ability to integrate the academic
and community experience, not merely on performance of community
activities; be no more than 1/3 of the courseís work and grade;
be appropriate to the studentís academic preparation; take place
only at service sites evaluated and approved by the course instructor;
be weighted on the basis of no fewer than 40 hours of community
service per semester unit of credit (e.g., 40 hours would be the
appropriate amount of community activity on which to base 1/3 of
the grade for a 3 unit class; or 20 hours for 1/6 of the grade);
and be evaluated by the student, community supervisor and the instructor.